Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-27
AGOOD EXAMPLE.
Fire sample OF the In
efficiency of Volunteer Fire Service
The a.. Il. 4 q Trestle Work
nauuanad GlaavilV

efficiency of Volunteer Fire Service
The a.. b. A q. Trestle Work
Damaged Heavily.
Carried away by the enthusiasm of the
moment, City Attorney McEniry IN his
speech to the fremen on Market square
Yesterday afternoon. made an assertion
expressive of q thought which he would
not have entertained for moment had
he stopped to consider. In his praise Of
the fire laddies he went so far as to state
that the Rock Island department was as
efficient as any paid service ia the coun-
try, the only thing needed being better
compensation for the labor performed.
In less than two hours from that time
the absurdity of such remarks was very
well shown.
| After the parade the firemen had as
sembled at Turner hall for lunch, as
lis the custom on parade day, Mayor
Blsnding had presented each company
with q fine box of cigars and the
laddies were truly happy. Chief Engi-
neer Knox had become indignant at the
: Gilpins for carrying broom in the
procession, and had Just got through cen
surlng that company for this piece of pre-
sumption, and some unpleasant words had
passed when an alarm rang out from the
Sixth ward The report spread that one
| of the upper saw mills was ablaze, and
there was not hose company within a
mile and half of ,the scene. The fire
men dashed out of the hall in the great
est of confusion and excitement and some
of them started up town without stopping
to think of their cart One company cart
and all, started down town. Private con
veyances passing along the street wert
:, haIled by the firemen and compelled to
do service in hauling them to the fire
In the meantime the fire was burning
away Two more alarms were sounded
Twenty minutes had passed and the fire
men were still half mile away from TIN
fire, though making for it with al
- their might
The fire was in the old trestle work o
the c.. B. & Q. road, near the C., X.
s. P. round house and coal chute, an
but for the efforts of Agent J. f. Coo
of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
and Mr. Geo. Wagner and the men in tn
latter's brewer, who laid hose to the FIR
T and checked the progress of the flame
toward the c., r. l. II 2. building
Us more property would haue been destroyed
Finally the companies arrived, the Gil
pins being first, and upon arriving tn,
company seemed to feel it had done II
. duty in getting to the fire first. 1t ha
earned its broom and thai was all tn;
was necessary. whether the fire burned {
not. From this on for half an hour Il
companies continued to arrive.
The more firemen arrived the great'
W the confusion. There was no head to Il
work. no system, no organization; ever
body was boss. and everybody did as
pleased and tried to boss his neighbo
The fremen actually fought amOr
lte themselves. 1t was dsgracful scel
and fair demonstration of Il
comparative uselessness of volunteer ii
service The fire was finally controll'
and the c., B. & Q. suffers loss
81 200, but had it been saw mill or
r lumber pile the fire would have been
better managed A paid fire depaI
ment, which the ARGUS has so long urg,
and many of our citizens advocate, Wen
cost the city less in the long run than t
present system. Once established, pa
organization would not be as expense
as some think Without q paid depal
% ment property is not safe and unless
change is made, several million dolls
lers will 90 up in smoke here some DIS
Rock Islands volunteer department is
good as any in the country, but the CT
;r should have service which is always
\ dufu and is maid for its work